The Families and Stress project studies those families most at risk for the development of mental breakdowns as a result of stress, looking particularly at the mental health consequences for children in these families. Base line data is collected about the life events, stressors, and support systems which characterize the families most at risk. Experimental interventions try out different types of preventative supports, e.g. in the workplace, in the neighborhood, using the existing mental health system, to discover which have the greatest effectiveness in ameliorating the consequences of stress.